A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.7 hit Papua New Guinea at 14:13 UTC on March 6, 2018. The agency is reporting a depth of 22.9 km (14.2 miles). Geoscience Australia is reporting M6.8 at a depth of 0 km. This is the strongest aftershock to hit the region since the massive M7.5 earthquake on February 25, 2018. According to the USGS, the epicenter of today’s M6.7 was located 56.5 km (35.1 miles) SW of Tari (population 8 186), 116.8 km (72.6 miles) W of Mendi
(population 26 252), and 147.4 km (91.6 miles) E of Kiunga (population 11 536). The USGS issued a green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage. Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though resistant structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are unreinforced brick with concrete floor and precast concrete frame with wall construction. READ MORE
